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Freelance Contract Review — Know What You're Agreeing to Before You Start

Freelance contracts determine who owns your work, when you get paid, and what happens if the client disappears mid-project. In California, AB5 and subsequent legislation changed how freelance relationships are classified — misclassification risk affects what your contract can and cannot say. In the UK, IR35 rules create similar complexity for contractors. Revealr's freelance contract review flags IP ownership traps, missing kill fees, unlimited revision clauses, and late payment provisions — the specific risks that cost freelancers the most money. Last reviewed: March 2026.

Full clause-by-clause review — every section, not just the highlights
Risk score 0–100 — understand severity at a glance
Plain-English explanations — no legal jargon required
Specific action steps — exactly what to negotiate or ask
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What Freelance Contracts Should (But Often Don't) Include

Before you start work: 8 contract clauses to check

IP ownership and work-for-hire scope

Does the assignment include preliminary drafts, rejected concepts, and pre-existing materials?

Kill fee and cancellation clause

What percentage of the project fee do you receive if the client cancels? Industry standard: 25–50%.

Revision limits

Are revisions capped at a specific number, or can the client request changes indefinitely?

Payment timeline and method

Net-30 is common; net-15 or 50% upfront is better. Is there a late fee provision?

Scope creep protection

Is the deliverable defined specifically enough to refuse out-of-scope requests?

Non-solicitation of clients

Does the contract restrict you from working with the client's competitors or their other clients?

Portfolio and attribution rights

Are you allowed to show the work in your portfolio after delivery?

Dispute resolution and governing law

Which state's law applies and how are disputes resolved — arbitration, litigation, or mediation?

IP Ownership and Kill Fee Clauses Explained

Here is what a Revealr analysis looks like for a real Freelance Agreement.

Revealr Analysis

Freelance Agreement

Risk Score

74 / 100

CRITICAL§6.1

Work-for-Hire Including Preliminary and Rejected Work

Literal clause: "All work product created by Contractor under this Agreement or in connection with the Project, including preliminary concepts, rejected drafts, and materials created prior to this Agreement relating to the subject matter hereof, shall be considered works made for hire and the exclusive property of Client." This clause claims ownership of rejected drafts and potentially work you created before this contract. Standard work-for-hire covers final deliverables only. Add an explicit carve-out for pre-existing materials and rejected concepts.

CRITICAL§4.3

"Revisions Until Client Is Satisfied" — Unlimited Scope

Literal clause: "Contractor shall provide revisions to all deliverables until Client is fully satisfied with the result at no additional charge." There is no cap on revisions, no definition of what constitutes a revision versus new work, and no deadline for client feedback. This clause creates an indefinite obligation. Replace with a specific revision round limit (typically 2–3) and a rate for additional rounds.

→ Replace with: "Client is entitled to [2] rounds of revisions per deliverable. Additional revisions will be billed at Contractor's standard hourly rate."

WARNING§5.1

No Kill Fee Provision

This contract contains no kill fee or cancellation compensation clause. If the client cancels after work has begun, you have no contractual right to payment for time already spent. Industry standard is 25–50% of the total project fee for cancellations after kickoff, rising to 100% if cancelled in the final phase of the project.

→ Add: "If Client cancels the project after work has commenced, Client shall pay a kill fee of [50%] of the remaining project fee."

WARNING§7.2

Industry-Wide Non-Solicitation Clause

Literal clause: "During the term of this Agreement and for 12 months thereafter, Contractor agrees not to solicit or accept work from any company operating in the same industry as Client." This prohibits you from working in an entire industry for a year — not standard non-solicitation. Legitimate non-solicitation clauses restrict only direct client contacts shared under the contract.

→ Request revision to: "Contractor agrees not to solicit Client's direct employees or contractors introduced to Contractor under this Agreement during the term of this Agreement."

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How to Protect Your Work Before Signing

Freelancers reviewing a client contract

The client sent you an agreement and you want to check it before signing

Designers, writers, and developers

Your work is valuable and you want to make sure you retain the rights you should

New freelancers

This is your first freelance contract and you want to understand what is standard

Most freelance contract disputes involve one of four issues: unpaid invoices, IP ownership conflicts, scope creep, or cancelled projects with no compensation. All four are preventable with a thorough contract review before work begins.

Frequently Asked Questions

Only if your contract includes a kill fee or cancellation clause. Without one, you typically have no contractual right to payment for work already done unless you can prove unjust enrichment under state law — which requires litigation. Before signing any freelance contract, add a kill fee of at least 25% for early cancellation, rising to 50% or more if work is substantially complete.

Under US copyright law, a work-for-hire or IP assignment clause transfers ownership upon signing — not upon payment. This means a client who has not paid may still legally own your deliverables if the contract says so. The practical remedy is to withhold final delivery until payment is received, and to ensure your contract conditions ownership transfer on full payment. Revealr flags contracts where IP transfers unconditionally.

No. You can propose your own contract or request changes to theirs. Most clients expect some negotiation. The key clauses to focus on are IP ownership scope, kill fee, revision limits, and payment terms. Revealr analyzes client-provided contracts and flags the specific provisions worth pushing back on.

Yes. You can propose adding a kill fee clause during contract negotiation. Most professional clients accept kill fees — they are standard in advertising, design, and publishing. A reasonable starting ask is 25% of the project fee for early cancellation, 50% if work is more than half complete.

California's AB5 sets tests for whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee. If you are misclassified as a contractor when you should be an employee, you may be entitled to employment benefits — but the contract terms may conflict with that classification. Key risk markers: if the contract requires you to work set hours, use the client's tools exclusively, or work only for that client, the relationship may not qualify as true independent contracting. Revealr flags clauses that suggest misclassification risk.

Related tools & guides

Service Agreement Review Independent Contractor Agreement Review Guide: Freelance Contract Mistakes NDA Review

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